glitter, fated
by Atelier Joh
Summary: After the events of The Midnight Channel, Rise Kujikawa is an aspiring star. After the events of The Dark Hour, Junpei Iori graduated high school and is jumping from job to job. A single chance meeting, and everything's changed slowly but sure...
1. glitter

**Author's Notes:** Welcome to my fic! This was an idea I had bouncing around for a while, and only recently got around to writing it. The lyrics are from Hamasaki Ayumi's song, "glitter".

* * *

Another day, another photo shoot, another set of lyrics, another drama to star in... The life of a successful star certainly was taxing, though Rise was prepared and ready to do it. All of those years ago, she remembered those words she exchanged with her precious Senpai, performing to the very best of her ability knowing that he was on the other side of those lenses... sometimes it was simply just that which kept her going through the day. Not that she wasn't enjoying her career, since it was a lot better than becoming an office lady whose only hope was to marry rich and mother children who hated her. Being an idol was the job millions upon millions of girls would kill for, and not a day went by when Rise wasn't reminded of that fact.

"Fan mail, fan mail, hate mail, fan mail, death threat, fan mail... are any of these things necessarily mutually exclusive?" It was nice to have friends visit, especially somebody as busy as Yukiko; years have passed, and she finally inherited the Amagi inn. In any case, while her friends in Inaba have grown up together in her absence, Rise could only smile and be glad that they still had the time to visit her. "Some of these people are worse than the boys in high school, Rise; apparently there are computer programs that allow you to put someone's head atop of someone else's body. Doesn't that bother you?"

"How would you know this if you don't even have a computer, Yukiko?" Rise asked.

"We've been attempting to update things around the inn a bit." Yukiko responded; she was just glad she could be in normal clothes rather than the kimono she usually wore. "I mean, I know the charm of the Amagi inn is its rustic nature, but that doesn't mean that behind the scenes we can't use computers to be a little more organized."

"... you're going to hire a couple of the high-schoolers to help out with getting everything set up, aren't you?"

"Well, computers are complicated!" Yukiko defended herself "Chie came by to try to help me, and... well, turns out that computers are a lot more complicated than baking or cooking I'll tell you that much. We're not like you, who has to update their blog every few days otherwise the masses get rabid."

"Oh, that thing?" Rise shrugged. "I never touch it; the company hires someone to do it for me."

"... that would explain the use of slang and euphemisms I never heard you use before." Yukiko giggled a bit.

"How is everybody else doing?"

"Oh, Kanji's still in charge of Tatsumi Textiles; luckily, even though Yosuke doesn't have too much clout, he managed to talk with his father about Junes and now tunes is working with the local businesses. It's not the most perfect set-up, but we all think it's a step in the right direction. Besides, Junes doesn't make cute plush toys, right?"

"Well, not the way Kanji makes them." Rise smiled, images of all of those memories flowing back into her mind. "It's nice to know Yosuke is trying his best to help out the community, in his own way. He's doing more than me, anyway."

"Rise, we all know you love us. However, the last time you proactively tried to help out Inaba we all got mobbed by people who had no money!"

"Okay, so the charity concert didn't go over so well, but it was a learning experience!" Rise interjected. Oh boy, that was an interesting experience. "Look I'll actually think about the consequences next time I try something, all right?"

These idyllic days weren't always going to be there; Rise knew this in the back of her mind. However, they were always going to be precious to her.

* * *

"What the- no way!" Rise's jaw more or less dropped at the sight of the gigantic horde of clamoring people standing between the car she rode in and the hotels where an awards ceremony was to take place. It wasn't her first one, but it was the biggest one she's yet to attend. "How the heck do people get through those crowds?"

"They usually don't."

Rise shot a glare at Naoto. "That's not very funny, you know." Rise sighed, turning back to the giant crowds just on the other side of the window. It was by pure chance and convenience that Naoto happened to be free that night; she was a detective, after all, not a bodyguard. Luckily, the excuse of a panty snatcher seemed to coerce the young detective to come on out and help an old friend.

Naoto simply smirked in a self-pleased manner. "Now, Rise, tell me the details of the case again." Her expression was slightly serious, though she was still capable of having fun.

"I already told you." Rise pouted, crossing her arms. "I go on stage, I come back to the dressing room, and my panties were stolen! I don't have some sort of super special detective kit to check for fingerprints or anything and I don't know if anybody else entered the room who wasn't authorized!"

"I find it ironic that the award you're receiving tonight is for a role you played as a lead in a mystery drama." Naoto sighed. "There are no dressing rooms here, so l doubt that your panty-snatcher is going to find a way to pilfer your panties unless they decide to debrief you sometime during the night. Which is unlikely, hopefully."

"I don't know whether that's encouraging or terrifying." Rise responded.

"Listen, Rise, don't worry. I spoke with the chief of police, and I gave him quite the talking-to about the importance of this job. Your bodyguards are both competent enough to take care of you as well as attractive enough to look good for the paparazzi photos."

"You're so thoughtful." Rise giggled. "Thanks, Naoto; whether or not anything happens, I do feel a lot safer with you around."

The two exchanged a simple, yet important smile.

* * *

"I find it almost hilarious how the difference in behavior from rampant fanaticism and aggressive violence aren't so different after all. Sociology is a wonderful and fascinating subject." Naoto nodded, the clamoring crowds just on the other side of the door. Rise finished giving her acceptance speech, and either it was taken very well or very poorly; with this mob, it was difficult to tell the difference. The only thing that didn't seem to be disputable would be the fact that Rise was becoming more and more well-known, and her popularity was growing.

"You have a twisted sense of humor." Rise commented to the side, more preoccupied with how to survive this than what Naoto was saying.

"In any case, I'm going to continue keeping watch on this end, bringing up the rear." Naoto continued. She then coughed. "The... burlier... officers will be leading you through the mob out front." It took a while for Naoto to more or less finally come to terms that there were certain things she certainly was not suited to the task for, such as brute force. She still dressed and acted the part of a man, but no longer was it such a big secret that she wasn't.

Especially since she was now married.

Not that she changed her name or anything, yet the event was a joyous one. Rise fondly remembered that time as the last time, a couple of years ago, that she made contact with Senpai.

"Thanks, Naoto." Rise grinned, now ready to get through this, get back to the hotel and... memorize the lyrics to a new song.

It was worse than she had imagined! The pushing, the shoving, the pulling... under most circumstances, Rise would have gladly gave a few people an autograph, but she was more concerned over her life and if she'd come out of this crowd unscathed! Moving through the halls was akin to trying to wade through frozen molasses, only a lot more painful.

"Ow!" Rise exclaimed for the umpteenth time, as they approached the stairs. Unfortunately, she had lost her footing, and fell forward. "Kyaa!"

"Whoa there!" Luckily, before Rise face-planted on the floor or wall resulting in a couple of weeks of the inability to market herself, a strong arm happened to stop her fall; grasping the arm to help her back up completely, she looked up; looting back at her was a goatee with shades! "You all right, Miss Kujikawa?" He didn't sound like he was too different from her age, though he did seem a year or two older. If it weren't for the suit, glasses, and of course the security badge, she would have thought he might have been one of her fans.

"I... I'm all right. Thank you." Rise smiled. With that, a flash of bright lights heralding a storm of photographs being taken interrupted them.

"Let's get you out of here!" Naoto yelled above the crowds toward Rise. Doing as she was told, Rise and her entourage left the building.

* * *

"Rise, is it true?" Yosuke's voice rang out from the other end of the phone. He was loud and boisterous as ever, apparently. Thankfully, after the first few earaches, Rise learned to keep the phone away from her ear whenever she saw an incoming call from him. Pattern recognition indeed. "My poor, sweet, innocent Risette...! You've been deflowered!"

"Yosuke, you are such an idiot...!" Rise rubbed her temples. "Listen, Yosuke; you can't always believe what the tabloids tell you! You know me! We were close friends in high school! Why won't you take my word on something about me, and instead believe whatever the paparazzi tells you?" Rise knew this was an exercise in futility, however, as she's had this conversation with Yosuke before. Several times, in fact.

"Hey, it's not my fault if Teddie keeps on shoving those magazines in my face!" Yosuke defended himself

"Heaven help us if he ever looks old enough to begin buying adult magazines..."

Yosuke coughed.

"Okay, okay, moving along... no, I am not dating anybody!" Rise told Yosuke up front. "I was going to tell you, I was on my way out from an awards presentation and I tripped in the hallway! One of my bodyguards caught me and helped me up! That's when they took those photos! I don't even know his name!"

"You don't have to know somebody's name before you're f-"

"Yosuke!" It was Rise's turn to yell. Slapping her forehead wasn't going to help in this situation since he couldn't see it, yet it was apparent from his groan that he clearly heard it. "You're an idiot. I'm not seeing anybody. I know it's weird for a workaholic idol with absolutely no time on her hands to not have a boyfriend, but it's true. Deal with it."

"Oh, you're talking about that watch commercial you were on?" Yosuke laughed. "With the watch on your wrist, smiling, going 'now with this new watch, I can tell time anywhere?' The selling point of that was your low-cut top, Rise."

"At least I make more money wearing a low-cut top than you would." Rise retorted.

"Ooh, burn..."

"Look, it's nice to know that you called me being concerned for my well being," Rise sighed, obviously a bit sarcastic, "But I'm busy. I'll see if I can take another vacation to Inaba when I get the chance, all right? And next time, I won't be doing an autograph session at Junes, you got it? Some vacation that turned out to be..."

"You really hold a grudge!"

* * *

Yosuke wasn't the only one mislead by the tabloids; Rise's professional blog and e-mail were all flooded by hundreds if not thousands of letters asking about her new flame, and it made Rise almost feel guilty about not even knowing his name.

Looking at the photo, Rise wasn't entirely certain if it was manipulated, yet it began to fit the image in her mind more and more; tracing his jaw line with her manicured nail, she began to wonder about him. What was his name? How old was he? How did he get this particular job of being her bodyguard? What did he do on his time off? These questions certainly weren't going to get answered anytime soon just by sitting there. Rise considered asking Naoto to look into it considering she was a detective and all, yet it seemed a bit off considering that Naoto would more or less by interrogating Rise about why exactly she was so interested in this man.

If she was going to do this, she had to do it smart. She wasn't exactly like Senpai, who could get almost anybody and everybody to like him and open up to him. She wasn't like Naoto, who had the brains to put everything together with simple deductions (simple for the amazing detective, anyway). She wasn't like Yukiko, somebody graceful and refined as a traditional Japanese beauty. She wasn't like Chie, who could stomp on somebody's face and get away with it. She wasn't like Kanji, who... could pretty much do the same thing. And make cute stuffed animals and amazing outfits, while at it. And she wasn't like Yosuke or Teddie, who... she wasn't really sure. However, what she was is the great idol Risette, and a smile came to her lips as she began to plan out exactly how she was going to go through with this.

* * *

"... if you want to meet him, all you had to do was ask." Naoto's rather unimpressed expression and curt comment surprised the starlet. "Being manipulative really doesn't suit you, and if you had to resort to those tactics, using them against me usually doesn't work Rise."

"... I'm sorry." Rise sighed. Naoto was right, as always. It was almost annoying, if it weren't for the fact that Rise knew that without Naoto's help, neither of them would even be here anymore.

"Anyway, given all of the hubbaloo surrounding this guy, I thought it'd be best to do my own background check on him." Naoto pulled out a couple of notes. "His name is Junpei Iori, and he graduated from Gekkoukan High in the spring of 2011. When he was young, he played baseball. He didn't have exemplary grades, and it's thought that he had some sort of favor from the former student council president, Mitsuru Kirijou; they lived together in one of the mixed student dorms for about a year during the 2009 school year. The extracurricular club they were part of, S.E.E.S., is shrouded in mystery; the staff member overseeing it passed away mysteriously around the last quarter of 2009. The club members were all different ages and genders, with no seeming common ground."

"You're rather thorough." Rise was impressed.

"That's the thing." Naoto shook her head. "It's all shrouded in mystery. In any case, lori's background is that his mother passed away at an early age, and his father was an alcoholic. He passed away from liver failure just shortly after Iori graduated high school, leaving his son to carry all of his debt. That's why he works several jobs, though it seems like Kirijou talked with the loan sharks to try to work out an agreement."

"That's so sad! " Rise exclaimed. "The poor man...!" Being able to figure all of this out would have been a lot easier if Rise had access to her Persona outside of the television's world.

"Not so fast, Rise." Naoto sighed. "I don't have any evidence of this, but don't you see? He has the perfect motive for selling this story to the tabloids."

"... You've got to be kidding." Rise lifted an eyebrow. "I didn't get that vibe from him in that second our eyes met." Rise sighed. "He didn't seem sleazy."

"He has a goatee, Rise." Naoto pressed her palm against her forehead. "Don't all of the antagonists in your dramas have goatees?"

"Ugh, that is so nineties, Naoto."

* * *

It seemed that the man called Junpei was going to be stationed as Rise's bodyguard for the next several projects. Not only did his presence fuel rumors, thus increasing Rise's popularity (gee, thanks, management), it also made it difficult for Rise to actually strike up a conversation with him without possible serious repercussions. It was vexing, to say the least.

Donned in a gorgeous feathered gown, Rise was in the middle of shooting a promotional video for her newest song. It was an upbeat piece, and required a lot of sparkling sets. This sort of thing was always kind of fun with the elaborate costumes and make-up and everything, and Rise always appreciated being treated like a princess. In between scenes, she glanced at Junpei, noticing that he wasn't watching her. She wasn't entirely certain what to think of that. Did the rumors not weigh on his mind at all?

Well, pouting wouldn't get her anywhere. Knowing that she had a job to do, she heard the music on the stereo, and began lip-syncing to it as the director shouted orders at her and moved the camera around her. "_We will shine more brightly this summer / Just making the most of the present..._"

The song continued, and Rise moved along with the beat. "_I'm remembering this time last year and this time long ago / What I want hasn't changed at all. Yes! Still believe in love_!" These were Iyrics she wrote earlier in the year; the process of a song was amazingly long, it gave Rise am entirely new appreciation for what singers had to go through, writing a song, getting it arranged, shooting a promotional video for it, and finally releasing it only to have sales tank on them.

"_You see? I think I know for certain the reason for your smile and the meaning of your words..._" On the director's cue, Rise took out a pin in her hair and her locks swayed with her movements. However, looking up, sparks began to fly from one of the lights overhead, and Rise screamed, being unable to move.

A toned arm grabbed her and pulled her out of the way Gasping for breath, Rise turned around to see Junpei's eyes, his sunglasses having fallen off. His baseball cap was still on, however. "Are you all right?" He asked, as most of the set crew ram over to them to make certain Rise was all right, and the rest checking out the fallen light fixture and trying to figure out what went wrong.

In all of this excitement, Rise could only stutter a response. "Um... yes." She nodded. Still locking eyes with him, a crew member pulled her away as she finally broke her eyes free, and saw that Junpei injured his hand from a piece of debris that fell.

It took about an hour to fix up the set, and while Rise was still shaken, she was willing to continue and finish the shoot. After all, they were renting the studio by the day. It was simply another thing Rise had to get used to; luckily, resilience was one of her strong points. "_We will shine brighter this summer, we certainly feel our hearts beat in excitement / No matter where we may go in the future, please just make the most of the present._"

The shoot went smoothly after that incident, and people were getting ready to close up. Stealing another glance at Junpei, Rise noticed he put his sunglasses back on, still looking around rather than at her. Taking out a small handheld device, Rise opened the lid and typed a message into it. Closing the lid, she approached Junpei.

"Thank you for helping me, earlier." She bowed out of respect.

He shook his head. "Just doing my job, Miss Kujikawa." His hand was bandaged.

Rise discreetly placed the text device into his pocket. "Read it when you're alone. I'll talk to you later." With that, she left, Junpei a bit confused.

* * *

For once in a long time, Rise was pretty excited. Nobody would necessarily call her shy, though has been a while since she was actually giddy at the prospect of being able to meet up with somebody. She was at a privately owned hotel, where hopefully the paparazzi wouldn't be able to find her or find out about this.

It was a large suite, but obviously she didn't come here to sleep. Room service already bought the food, as Rise didn't know how to work the kitchen at all, as much as she hated to admit it. First impressions were everything. Well, Junpei probably already had all of the impressions he needed just by seeing those magazine articles.

It than dawned on her, why idols had such trouble handling relationships. Constantly being under a microscope, it reminded Rise why she took that sabbatical from show business and moved back to Inaba in the first place all of those years ago. Those same insecurities would probably always be in the back of her mind. She always knew that... but she knew she just had to make sure that they didn't define her, consume her very being.

Admittedly, that was becoming a bit more and more difficult to do.

Before she could get too lost in her thoughts, the door opened, and Junpei walked in. Seeing him in casual wear was a new sight for Rise, and it set her at ease, though he still wore his baseball cap. "Did you have any trouble finding the place, Junpei?" Rise asked, motioning to the chair

He shook his head. "I'm having trouble thinking of any reasons why you'd want to invite me, though, Miss Kujikawa."

Rise giggled. A serious one, was he? "You've helped me out twice now. And please, here, we're equals. Call me Rise." She said. As he took a seat, so did she. "I just wanted to thank you for what you've done for me, and find out a bit more about you."

After giving thanks for the food, Junpei picked up a pair of chopsticks. He seemed solemn to Rise. Which made him all the more mysterious. "I don't know if there's much to tell." Junpei spoke. "I'm a couple of years older than you, and finished high school and never went to college. Just started working right after that."

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Rise asked, rather bluntly.

After a few seconds, Junpei shook his head. "She's not around here anymore." He answered.

Rise could tell from his tone of voice that it wasn't something he wanted to talk about. Deciding not to push it, she wondered exactly what he meant by that. Did she die? Car accident? Cyborg weapon test? Lost her memory? Apparently Rise was confusing reality with what she was acting in for in her dramas. Still, the wording left her confused. Taking a bite into her food, Rise searched her mind for topics of conversation.

"I'm sorry I'm not very interesting." Junpei apologized. "I appreciate the meal and all, though."

"I just want to make a friend." Rise sighed. "Being in my position, I suppose it's silly of me to just jump out at the first sign of kindness someone shows me, but I just... feel drawn to you, somehow. I don't mean to push anything onto you."

Junpei finally smiled, and chuckled a bit. "It's just that I can't tell anybody about this or they'll rip me apart from jealousy."

Rise giggled in turn.

* * *

After a few more encounters, they finally broke the ice. Seasons passed, and a year since they met has already passed. Layer by layer, Rise got to know Junpei bit by bit. Not much more than what Naoto had already told her, but for Rise, her heart got beating again with excitement. Perhaps it was because she associated being with him with the heart-pumping adrenaline of almost being crushed by that light fixture, or it was something else. All Rise knew was that little by little, she was drawn closer and closer to Junpei, and he was becoming less and less broody. To her, that maybe meant he was becoming more and more comfortable around her as well.

Standing beside him on a hotel balcony overlooking Iwatodai on Tatsumi Port Island, Rise held Junpei's arm. "Several years ago, I held a concert here and there was a blackout." She giggled.

"I remember that." Junpei recalled. "That night was a full moon, and..." He fell silent.

"What is it, Junpei?" Rise asked, looking up.

"I'm sorry, I just remembered. That night was a memory with a particular woman." Junpei admitted.

"... Your girlfriend." Rise realized.

"Heh." Junpei chuckled. "I didn't think fondly of it at the time, but now I can sort of laugh about it." He continued. "She's out there, somewhere. But she's not the same person, so... in a sense, no, she's not out there, either."

"What happened?" Rise asked.

"She woke up from a nightmare." Junpei responded.

To Rise, Junpei was holding onto a ghost. She didn't understand what he was going through his mind, but to her, he was chasing a ghost in the past. Or rather, clinging to it.

"I'm really glad you invited me out so many times." Junpei surprised Rise. "The difference between you and her is like night and day. With Chidori, I was holding onto the past, because a future with her wasn't going to be able to happen. I'm a bit scared about the future... but right now? Here with you, I can feel a little bit like my old self I want to make the most of this, the present."

"... My lyrics...!" Rise smiled. He was listening to her lyrics. After a moment of silence, she lifted her heels, her lips meeting his.

* * *

"So, perhaps you'll be the next to walk down the aisle?" Naoto teased.

"Well, nobody expected you to be the first of us to get married." Rise giggled. "Kanji really manned up when he proposed to you out of the blue, didn't he?"

"But of course." Naoto simply smiled. "It worked out. But we're talking about you, now, Rise. I certainly hope that you're not using Iori to replace Senpai, are you?"

"I think it might be impossible to not see aspects of someone you've admired for so long in other people, you know?" Rise sighed.

"Are you all right? I mean, with Senpai and all?" Naoto asked, a bit more serious.

"Yeah, I think I am." Rise smiled. "I mean, he'll always be my first love, you know? I know that pretty much all of us had a huge crush on him at some point when we were all together in Inaba, but ever since he moved back with his parents, we... all sort of lost contact with him. Besides, if you were able to find happiness with Kanji, that means I should be able to find happiness with someone as well, right?" Rise giggled. "Our adventure all of those years ago, it made me realize that judging a book by its cover is only going to lead to troubling matters later if you don't bother trying to close the distance between two souls. Yes, those memories with Senpai are precious to me. They're precious to all of us. But sometimes that distance is going to grow. I'm sure he's happy, wherever he is now. That's enough for me."

Naoto simply gave her sagacious, all-knowing smile. "Memories aren't so bad, as long as they don't overpower us. They form who we are presently, yes, but who we are now is what will determine who we'll be in the future. Life is ten percent what happens to you, and ninety percent how you react to it, after all."

"You're beginning to sound like one of my pop songs." Rise teased.

"You must be mistaken. I listen to classical."

"So... would it help if I sampled some classical music in my releases?" Rise tilted her head.

Naoto pressed her palm against her forehead, yet there was a smile on her face.


	2. fated

**Author's Notes:** The lyrics are from the Hamasaki Ayumi song, "fated".

* * *

Life after S.E.E.S. was a challenge. Readjusting to a normal, everyday life Junpei couldn't talk about it to anybody, but he missed being able to thump Shadows in the Dark Hour using his Persona. Being a chosen one was pretty exhilarating, actually. Of course, there were many sacrifices that had to be made, but Nyx's judgment was averted.

Life was normal.

Then after graduation, most everybody began to drift apart, and his old man died. Just like that, all of the alcohol in his system just shut his liver down, and he couldn't get a transplant. Part of Junpei knew he was expected to give up half of his own liver, but at the same time, he hated what his old man had become. He wasn't the father he grew up with, who loved him and his mother. Once his mother passed away, his father was down on a self-destructive spiral for over a decade.

Junpei tried telling him to stop several times before, and his father used up all of his lifelines. He wasn't responsible for his death, because even if he gave him part of his liver, his father would just continue to drink himself into a stupor, wasting his second chance at life. Junpei wasn't going to enable it. He didn't tell anybody about his father. To him, his father died a long time ago, and no longer existed.

Unfortunately, once the debt collectors came, his father's existence became impossible to ignore.

Though she didn't owe him anything, Mitsuru found out about Junpei's plight and helped him out. While Junpei wouldn't accept her paying off the debt in full, she managed to at least set up a payment plan for him so that the debt wouldn't completely destroy his life. There was something to be said about camaraderie, even years after they last worked together.

He landed a security gig for the pop idol, Risette. He recalled that she had a concert in Iwatodai the night when S.E.E.S. was investigating the Paulownia Mall, and that was the night when Chidori kidnapped him, believing his claims of being the leader. Thinking back now, he still bit his lip. How foolish was he to try to brag about himself to a stranger? Well, Chidori wasn't really a stranger, was she...? He replayed so scene so many times in his head. Chidori... he missed her.

Shaking his head, he recalled that he was on the job. Akihiko-senpai did him the favor of getting this gig, and the least he could do to show his appreciation was to not screw this up. The flashing lights of the paparazzi were blinding; if it weren't for his sunglasses, Junpei wasn't certain how he'd survive with his retinas intact. No wonder why everybody on the tabloids looks so shocked all of the time! Pushing to make way for Rise, they were climbing down a staircase, and she tripped, quickly reacting, Junpei caught her before she face planted into the ground. In the split second their eyes locked, the tabloids were all over it.

* * *

After S.E.E.S. disbanded, Junpei was sort of the odd one out. He never formed a tight bond with anybody in the dorm. As far as he knew, Mitsuru and Akihiko kept m touch, and Ken tried to contact Akihiko once in a while. Fuuka and Yukari were on opposite ends of the spectrum concerning personalities, but they still got along. Aigis also kept in touch with Mitsuru considering that she needed the Kirijou technology for maintenance, though she had a heart because of... him. Once he went away, it quickly became obvious that he was somehow the glue that held everybody together. It was odd, in a way. It was just another thing that Junpei would never be able to match up against him with. There was no point in regretting it now, though. Between him and Junpei, Junpei was glad he didn't end up like him.

Taking Koromaru for a walk, it was pretty late in the evening. However, the person on the park bench caught his attention. His stomach seemed to tie up in knots. "Hi, Chidori." He did his best to smile.

She no longer dressed in her gothic Lolita style, but she was unmistakable. Her deep red hair was a little shorter now, shoulder length, and she wore plain clothes. Gothic Lolita clothing was expensive, after all, and Junpei couldn't imagine how Chidori was managing to pay for herself She seemed hygienic enough, so he was certain she wasn't homeless. She simply sat on the park bench, a sketchbook in hand. Even her sketches seemed different.

She simply looked up at him. Her eyes... they were different, too. No longer did they have that deep melancholy that initially caught his attention. They were bright, shining, in a world he couldn't reach. A world he was responsible, for had no place in. "Good evening. Junpei, was it? How are you?" She gave him a soft smile.

Ever since her memories of anything regarding the Dark Hour were erased, they had nothing in common. At first, it was the happiest day of his life, the love of his life coming back to the living by some miraculous intervention. As the days went by, weeks, months, years... they only saw each other in passing. She was still searching earnestly for the man in her dreams, the one who pulled her out of the darkness. Junpei knew who he was. She didn't. And he could never be the one to tell her.

"I'm all right." His voice slightly cracked, finally responding after several seconds. "Sorry, my brain tends to not work at this time of night."

Chidori slightly laughed. "It's quite all right." She responded.

More idle chatter. Junpei couldn't even recall what they spoke about anymore. All he knew was that the person in front of him was a complete and total stranger who wore the face of somebody he missed terribly. At the time, he cursed himself, knowing that Chidori the old Chidori, the one that he fell for - wouldn't have wanted to continue living with her pain. It was the saddest mix of joy and depression for Junpei, and he gritted his teeth.

"I have to go." Junpei finally said. "Koromaru's probably hungry, and his food's at home." He lied.

"Oh, I see." Chidori nodded. She tore off a piece of paper. "Here. You may have this. There's no telling when we'll be able to cross paths once again, is there?" She tilted her head as she smiled.

Taking it, Junpei felt that knot in his stomach grow tighter. "Thanks, Chidori."

* * *

The sketch was of a princess being saved by a knight from a crumbling tower, both of them being chased by thorny vines. Even her artwork was different. Not thinking much of it, Junpei couldn't bring himself to just throw it away. He set it on his table, and went to work.

It was a promotional video shoot, something Junpei never witnessed before. It was pretty interesting, though the song was some sugary pop. He used to like that sort of thing. Or, rather, the girls singing that sort of thing. One thing for sure, Rise Kujikawa encompassed everything you'd expect from an idol; she was chipper, giggly, and cute. However, during these past few weeks, Junpei also witnessed that she was earnest, hard-working, and honest, something he never expected. Of course, an even bigger surprise would have been if she answered 'long division' to the question 'what is your hidden talent?' a talk show host once asked her, but you can't have everything.

He was trained. He wasn't planning on being a body guard for the rest of his life or anything, but he was definitely trained to not watch Rise herself. She could take care of herself it was watching everybody else in the room, and see if they were even entertaining thoughts of harming Rise.

Unfortunately, it wasn't a person Junpei should have been worried about.

After a loud noise, before Junpei's eyes flashed the image of Rise as a princess, about to be crushed by the falling lighting fixture. Without even thinking, he quickly pulled her out of the way. She was unharmed, his hand wasn't. "Are you all right, Miss Kujikawa?"

She nodded. It was the second time their eyes met.

Later on, after the shoot was finished, she thanked him and placed am object in his pocket.

* * *

Flipping open the electronic note pad, Junpei was a bit surprised. He wasn't entirely certain what he was expecting, but he certainly wasn't expecting a time, date, and location. Working so many jobs nonstop after graduation in order to pay off his father's debt, he had little time making any close friends, let alone anybody he could talk to about this. He knew that most people who even recognized him on the street were just dying to be able to be a 'close source' for the tabloids. Out of respect for Rise and fear out of losing his job, he kept quiet.

That didn't stop him from arriving at the designated place at the designated time, of course. Plus, admittedly, he was a bit terrified of how Rise would react if he didn't show up.

Walking in, he found dinner to be a pleasant surprise. "Did you have any trouble finding the place, Junpei?" Rise asked, motioning to the chair.

Junpei shook his head. "I'm having trouble thinking of any reasons why you'd want to invite me, though, Miss Kujikawa." It was quite off. Was she just fueling the rumors?

Rise giggled. "You've helped me out twice now. And please, here, we're equals. Call me Rise." She said. As Junpei took a seat, so did Rise. "I just wanted to thank you for what you've done for me, and find out a bit more about you." That was a bit difficult to believe. Would it be too difficult to just hand him a signed CD or poster and call it a day? Then again, Rise wasn't very typical, as far as Junpei could tell.

After giving thanks for the food, Junpei picked up a pair of chopsticks. He never even had the chance to share a meal with Chidori… "I don't know if there's much to tell." Junpei spoke. "I'm a couple of years older than you, and finished high school and never went to college. Just started working right after that." No need to tell her about Nyx or Chidori or anything to do with S.E.E.S.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Rise asked, rather bluntly. That was a surprise.

After a few seconds, Junpei shook his head. "She's not around here anymore." He answered. Chidori just… wasn't Chidori anymore. "I'm sorry I'm not very interesting." Junpei apologized. "I appreciate the meal and all, though." Little did he know that he was coming off as mysterious. If only he had known this during high school! He would have been a chick magnet then. He felt bad for wasting Rise's time, though.

"I just want to make a friend." Rise sighed. "Being in my position, I suppose it's silly of me to just jump out at the first sign of kindness someone shows me, but I just... feel drawn to you, somehow. I don't mean to push anything onto you."

Junpei finally smiled, and chuckled a bit. So, she was just lonely. He could relate to that much, at least. He decided to joke, "It's just that I can't tell anybody about this or they'll rip me apart from jealousy."

Rise giggled in turn.

* * *

"How have you been, Iori?" Mitsuru's regal manner hadn't dissipated with time, and it was nice that at least one thing in this changing world was constant. Having taken the head of the Kirijou without marrying, Mitsuru was charging ahead into the future as a respectful and powerful woman. Crossing her legs as she took a sip of her coffee, her business attire didn't seem too far off from her Gekkoukan High uniform a few years past.

Even if it were a brief social visit, it was nice. She always paid for the drinks.

"Same old, same old." Junpei simply responded, taking a sip of his own coffee. Her office was big. Really big.

He wasn't certain what to say, especially given that all they had in common was that they were both in S.E.E.S. back in high school.

"You're quite the figure on the tabloids." Mitsuru chuckled. "Your little stunt with the idol had more pages than the article about me being sighted with Akihiko in the park."

"Well, you know me. I'm an attention whore." Junpei tried to laugh it off.

"Anyway." Mitsuru continued, "I called you here today because I have some good news." She grabbed a few papers from her drawer. "The loan sharks are officially off of your back. I went ahead and used my family's resources to pay off your debt."

"Mitsuru-senpai, you didn't have to do that!" Junpei's eyes widened. The bigger issue here, though he wouldn't admit it, was that his pride was hurt.

"Those sharks have bad habits regarding interest." Mitsuru attempted to explain. "The last thing I want is for the yakuza to come after you. This way, you don't have to pay any more interest, and you can just pay me back directly. Just take your time. I know you're good for your word, after all." She chuckled. "I'm not doing you a favor, so don't take it like I'm giving you charity. You're my friend, and I'm looking out for my own best interests by looking out for you. So don't argue with me."

Her ice-like commandments were difficult to disagree with.

Junpei was just glad that she was on his side, not the other way around.

"Thank you, Mitsuru-senpai."

"If I may ask…" Mitsuru continued, "I was wondering. I could have dealt with the lawyers in getting your debt completely expunged from all records if you came to me first. After some investigation, I've come to realize that you came into the debt when you wanted your inheritance. What did your father have that you wanted so badly, that you'd land yourself in such a predicament?"

There it was. Junpei sighed. "My mother's belongings." He slightly smiled. "Dad never hocked them since they're cheap trinkets, but those things are the only mementos of my mother that I have." Especially her diamond wedding ring.

"I see… your mother means a lot to you, doesn't she?" Mitsuru's expression grew sympathetic. Losing a parent herself during their adventure, she could understand where Junpei was coming from. "I'll continue to help you out as much as I can, Iori."

* * *

They decided to make Rise's next single a double-A side, meaning another main song had to be recorded along with another promotional video. While the two songs were completely different, they decided to connect them through the videos, this one being a continuation of the last one. It had been a month since the last video shoot, most likely because they wanted to make sure that another incident like last time with the light fixture wouldn't perform an encore.

The music began playing. "_Do you believe in fate? A momentary encounter that changes everything in your life before that?_" The melancholy tone of the song was far different than anything else that Rise sang, at least out of what Junpei has heard. The music didn't overpower the Iyrics, allowing Junpei to actually hear them and think about them. But no, Junpei didn't believe in fate. Ironic considering that the entire S.E.E.S. adventure could have been considered fate.

"_We notice it the moment our eyes meet with someone's, we definitely come to feel it with them / But suddenly, we feel weak in our knees.._." Doubt. Confusion. Anger. Denial. There were too many things Junpei felt, so many years after what had transpired. He felt alone in the world, yet everybody.. most everybody was still around, one way or the other. Why was he given the potential to wield Hermes? Sure, ti felt good for a while, but the loss of Chidori, and the loss of that excitement once the world was saved... and nobody praised him for it. He went back to being an ordinary human being.

It wasn't that he wasn't grateful for life. It's just that he had a taste of something more, and he craved it once again.

"_I feel that the more I wish to be strong, the weaker I instead become..._" Junpei had to wipe a tear away from his eye. Clenching his teeth, it applied to him directly. He had grandiose dreams of becoming someone, something more than just an ordinary person. Sure, being an ordinary person beat having Apathy Syndrome, but giving someone the chance to become a hero and then taking it away? That was just cruel.

"_I shouted your name with tears in my eyes, I wish I wouldn't wake up if this were a dream / Ah, the person before my eyes as you, see? No one else but you._" But none of that mattered. What mattered was Chidori. With her deep red hair, her white gothic Lolita dress, and sketches. With her deep eyes, longing for something, not quite knowing what it was... and the fact that he wanted to be able to give her hope, so that she didn't feel like she had to go back to Strega and die. Chidori, tormented by fate itself, knowing the day that she would die because of her Persona's curse. Chidori, who woke up miraculously in the hospital after her death, reanimated by the very life energy she poured into the flowers by her bed when he came to visit. Chidori, who had woken up from her nightmare.

Junpei had yet to wake up from his nightmare. Or perhaps reality after such a nice dream was the nightmare.

"_If only I had deserved your love, as many as the times that you told me you loved me / if only I had loved you as many as the times I said I loved you._" Was it love? Junpei never felt the way he felt toward Chidori toward anybody else. Not before, not after. Chidori was special, there was no disputing that. Everybody else in S.E.E.S. knew it, too. The new Chidori... she didn't know what it meant to suffer, did she? Not the way that the old Chidori did. And with that, she lost an important aspect which Junpei desperately longed to find again.

"_I gave up, thinking I couldn't reach your voice / I gave up, thinking that this dream was unattainable / You see, even though the person before my eyes was the real you..._" Junpei had to accept that this new Chidori was now the real Chidori. A Chidori he could love like a little sister, but the memory of the old Chidori was still fresh in his mind, even after many years. She wasn't a replacement. Much like he couldn't be that man in her dream.

* * *

"The management company may be having fun with this, but if you screw around with my friend's heart, there will be Hell to pay." A rather short young woman tried to stare Junpei down. Which was a bit difficult, considering that they had to look up rather than down, given that Junpei was taller.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Junpei looked to the side. He knew what this person was talking about.

"I'm Naoto Shirogane, and it's because of me that you were even there to catch her when she fell down to begin with." Naoto introduced herself "Rise happens to be a close personal friend of mine, and she's experienced heartbreak in the past. You'd better not mess with her if you're not serious, Iori." She sternly warned. "Otherwise my husband will deliver a special knuckle sandwich to you, personally."

"Duly noted..." Junpei still thought this was completely random and out of the blue. But even idols had close friends, huh?

* * *

It had been a year since he saved Rise from that rogue light fixture. Overlooking the city lights high up on a balcony, Junpei had to admit it was pretty amazing. It was even more amazing with a cute woman by your side.

He was ready to live in the present. Yes, the past was important to him. It was because of Chidori that he realized he was capable of being something more, someone more... somebody capable of caring for another person more than he cared about himself Taking that with him into the future, he was confident that he could honor her memory through the way he lived his life.

Standing beside him on a hotel balcony overlooking Iwatodai on Tatsumi Port Island, Rise held Junpei's arm. "Several years ago, I held a concert here and there was a blackout." She giggled.

"I remember that." Junpei recalled. "That night was a full moon, and..." He fell silent.

"What is it, Junpei?" Rise asked, looking up.

"I'm sorry, I just remembered. That night was a memory with a particular woman." Junpei admitted. That was the night Chidori kidnapped him, wasn't it? It was almost difficult to think of it as that particular night. Had he never have joined S.E.E.S., he might have met Rise earlier.

"... Your girlfriend." Rise realized. She was a smart one, to say the least.

"Heh." Junpei chuckled. "I didn't think fondly of it at the time, but now I can sort of laugh about it." He continued. "She's out there, somewhere. But she's not the same person, so... in a sense, no, she's not out there, either." He wasn't certain he would ever be able to tell Rise the entire truth, of the gothic Lolita woman who held such a large place in his heart.

"What happened?" Rise asked.

"She woke up from a nightmare." Junpei responded. It was that simple. She woke up, and no longer was the Chidori from the nightmare. She was a new Chidori.

"I'm really glad you invited me out so many times." Junpei chuckled. "The difference between you and her is like night and day. With Chidori, I was holding onto the past, because a future with her wasn't going to be able to happen. I'm a bit scared about the future... but right now? Here with you, I can feel a little bit like my old self I want to make the most of this, the present."

"... My lyrics...!" Rise smiled. He admitted that Rise's song was cheesy as Hell, but she was right for a budding lyricist. He wanted to continue living in the present, toward the future. It was time he woke up from his own nightmare.

Lowering his head, his lips met Rise's.

* * *

Several months later, Junpei found himself in that same hotel room. Sitting up, the sheets felt night on his bare skin. Turning over, he saw the sleeping idol next to him, and gently with his index finger he pulled back a few of her bangs out of her eyes. Being sure not to disturb her, he pulled on his boxer shorts as he walked over to the window, the night sky lit up with only the moon and stars.

The night lost most of its terror once the Dark Hour was sealed away, and along with that terror went along Junpei's worth. Or, at least that's what he believed, for the longest time. It sounded cheesy, like a superhero cartoon or comic aimed at young boys; his self-worth was right where it was supposed to be. He placed his hand on his chest, feeling his own heartbeat.

He didn't have to be extraordinary. Or perhaps, extraordinary things existed in everyday ordinary things. Either way, he found himself smiling more and more as time went on, and although it would be impossible to forget about Chidori, she was taking up less and less of his daily thoughts. At first, that worried him, as if it were saying that the feelings he felt for her were in vanity this entire time. However, he realized that her impact on him was going to last forever, and it was a fact that Rise approached him and came to him, as Chidori was already a part of him. Rise was going to accept him in his entire brokenness, and that made it okay. He was broken, but he was whole.

Quietly making his way back to the bed, the diamond ring on Rise's left ring finger glistened in the tiny amount of moonlight bleeding through the curtain.


End file.
